John,
I wanted to check in with a quick update on our work to address the horrific oil spill in Orange County, and the steps being taken to prevent spills like these from happening again.
• Yesterday, I joined with local elected officials, environmental scientists, and business leaders in Encinitas to renew our call to pass legislation I introduced -- The American Coasts and Oceans Protection Act. My bill would prohibit any new leasing for exploration, development, and oil production off our coasts. To read more about yesterday's action, click here.
• Reports emerged that the pipeline operators at Beta Offshore Operating Company failed to immediately shut down the pipeline once they became aware of the leak. They did not report the situation to authorities for six hours. This is completely inexcusable, and I'm working to make sure the people and entities responsible are held accountable.
• I'm now urging my colleagues to make sure the provisions that end new oil and gas leasing off our coastlines remain in the Build Back Better Act that is being negotiated in Congress.
No one in our community wants to see more drilling off the California coast or disasters like these -- not Republicans, Democrats, or independents. The only foolproof way to prevent future oil spills from fouling our California coast is to end offshore oil drilling altogether.
Getting this legislation passed is going to take an overwhelming grassroots response to cut through the noise in Washington. If you're ready to put an end to drilling off our coastlines, sign on to become a citizen cosponsor of the American Coasts and Oceans Protection Act.
Thank you,
Mike
